Men's Tennis Rallies to Upset Florida in NCAA Regional Final
May 9, 2009
GAINESVILLE, FLA… – The No. 22 University of Miami men’s tennis team rallied from a 3-0 deficit to knock off No. 10 Florida, 4-3, to win the Gainesville Regional in the NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championships at UF’s Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex on Saturday.
The Hurricanes (16-8) now advance to the NCAA’s Round of 16 for the second time in four years to square off versus No. 7 UCLA (19-4), who defeated Hawaii, 4-0, in its regional final in Los Angeles today.
“I can’t say enough about our team and our seniors,” said head Miami coach Mario Rincon who has led the Hurricanes to four-straight NCAA appearances. “It was an incredible accomplishment for us to beat Florida at their place in front of a huge crowd. It was a great college match – every point was disputed and it was so close. We have had our battles with UF – and we haven’t always come out on top, so it was a huge victory for this program. I’m proud of our coaches, our players, fans and everyone associated with this University of Miami tennis program.
“Our guys never gave up and kept fighting. It was over 90 degrees today, but our guys are in such awesome shape and that was an important factor in the end. As the match progressed, they were able to take control of the situation and use their conditioning to their advantage.”
Trailing 3-0, the Hurricanes were in a must-win situation in the four remaining matches if they wanted to keep their season alive and snap a two-match losing streak to the Gators (18-9) – including a 4-1 loss to Florida in the NCAA second round match between the programs just one season ago.
Senior David Rosenfeld got the Hurricanes on the scoreboard with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 victory over No. 33 Alex Lacroix at the No. 2 position. Sophomore Christian Blocker kept it going, earning his third win in his last four matches to bring Miami within a point of the host Gators, 3-2, with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 win at No. 5.
After splitting the first two sets, 13th-ranked All-American Daniel Vallverdu powered to the 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 victory in the top flight over No. 23 Carlos Cueto to knot the match at 3-3.
The focus then moved to the battle at the No. 3 position between All-American Carl Sundberg and UF’s Antoine Benneteau, with a trip to the NCAA Round of 16 hanging in the balance. Benneteau claimed a tight first-set 7-6, but Sundberg came back to even it up with a 6-4 second-set win. With the match on the line, it was all Sundberg in the third set as he clinched the victory for the Hurricanes with the strong 6-1 decision.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our guys,” said assistant coach CJ Weber. “After a really slow start in doubles, it was tough to turn things immediately around in singles, but every court did it. We were in every match. I couldn’t believe how hard both teams fought. This is exactly what a coaches hopes will happen in the postseason – guys fighting hard and playing together.”
Miami will face UCLA on Thursday, May 14, at 7 p.m. (EST) at Texas A&M’s George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas. Miami is among a nation-best four ACC teams – joining Virginia, Wake Forest and Florida State – to advance to this week’s NCAA Round of 16. The SEC, Pac 10 and Big 12 will be represented by three teams apiece, while the Big Ten is sending two and the WAC has one.
“The guys have exams this week, but we’ll get enough practice in and we will be ready for our next match in the Sweet 16,” added Rincon.
No. 22 Miami 4, No. 10 Florida 3
Singles
1. #13 Daniel Vallverdu (UM) def. #23 Carlos Cueto (UF) 4-6, 6-2, 7-5
2. David Rosenfeld (UM) def. #33 Alex Lacroix (UF) 4-6, 6-2, 6-0
3. Carl Sundberg (UM) def. Antoine Benneteau (UF) 6-7, 6-4, 6-1
4. Joey Burkhardt (UF) def. Keith Crowley (UM) 6-1, 2-6, 6-2
5. Christian Blocker (UM) def. Johnny Hamui (UF) 6-4, 1-6, 6-2
6. Jeff Dadamo (UF) def. Ignacio Taboada (UM) 7-6, 6-4
Order of finish: 6, 4, 2, 5, 1, 3
Doubles
1. #16 Benneteau/Burkhardt (UF) vs. #38 Vallverdu/Rosenfeld (UM) 3-6, unfinished
2. Dadamo/Hamui (UF) def. Sundberg/Crowley (UM) 8-5
3. Cueto/ Lacroix (UF) def. Simon/Taboada (UM) 8-1
Order of finish: 3, 2
